17-year-old Ayush Mhatre's message for Rohit Sharma after losing spot to Indian captain and Yashasvi Jaiswal in Mumbai's playing XI, says 'was such an unreal moment..'

Following his snub from the Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir, Mumbai's 17-year-old sensation, Ayush Mhatre, sent an emotional letter to his idol, Rohit Sharma. The India Test captain, who was playing his first Ranji match since 2015, had to move past Mhatre. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit opened for Mumbai in their Elite Group A match.

Mhatre on Rohit

The chance to share the dressing room with Rohit Sharma has delighted Mhatre, who has amassed 441 runs at an average of 40.09 in five games. The youngster wrote on social media "Started playing cricket by watching him bat on television to sharing a dressing room with my idol. Lots of learning to take forward."

In October of last year, Mhatre made his first-class debut for Mumbai, scoring two hundred and fifty, including a triple hundred, to establish himself. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Mhatre was in incredible form, amassing 458 runs at a strike rate of 135.50 and an average of 65.42. Mhatre scored 148 against Saurashtra on January 5 after hitting 181 against Nagaland on December 31. However, when the Ranji Trophy began for white-ball domestic cricket following the break, the adolescent had to give way to the Indian skipper.

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Rohit's performance on Ranji return

Fans questioned Mhatre's absence on social media after Rohit flopped with the bat in the Ranji Trophy, scoring just 3 and 28 against Jammu and Kashmir. Mhatre is still focused on improving his abilities in spite of the setback. By breaking Jaiswal's record and becoming the youngest player to score 150+ in a List A match, the teenager has written history. The depth of skill in Indian domestic cricket is reflected in Mumbai's star-studded squad, which includes players like Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, and Shardul Thakur. However, it also makes it difficult to balance opportunities for up-and-coming players like Mhatre.

Competition for slots is still intense because Prithvi Shaw and Angkrish Raghuvanshi were also left out of the squad, and veterans like Suryakumar Yadav were unable to play because of international commitments. Shardul Thakur, meanwhile, saved the Mumbai team, which was full of stars, by scoring his second first-class hundred against Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy. On day two, Mumbai led by 188 runs at stumps with a score of 274/7. Kotian was undefeated at 58, and Shardul was batting at 113.

Before being removed in the first hour, the 37-year-old could only muster three runs off 19 balls. But Rohit demonstrated a calmer performance on Friday, striking a smooth 28—his highest first-class total since a 52 in the second innings of the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand last year. Since then, Rohit's batting difficulties have been apparent, as he has scored 0, 8, 18, 11, 3, 6, 3, and 9 in games against Australia and New Zealand.